Staying with my son for a few days in Bristol, it would have been rude not to visit a few holy wells. People often express amazement that there are holy wells to be found in England but, as in Ireland, they are everywhere if you bother to look – admittedly some more obvious than others. […]
Other
The curious, the scenic and the challenging – a 2023 round up
It’s been a busy year for holy well work and the main excitement was the publication of my book Holy Wells of County Cork. This was kindly launched by Gary Branigan, author of Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin and was hosted by the Working Artist Studios, Ballydehob. The book of course took much longer […]
Book Launch
I’m delighted, and slightly terrified, to announce that my book, Holy Wells of County Cork, will be launched on Friday 21st July at the Working Artist Studios, Main Street, Ballydehob, from 5pm. Gary Branigan, author of The Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin, will kindly be doing the honours. The book can now be pre-ordered […]
New book: a sneaky preview
I haven’t had much time for fieldwork recently and this is the reason! This book is the result of seven years visiting, recording and researching as many of the of the 358 holy wells in County Cork as was physically possible – 330 at the last count with 28 still remaining elusive. I think this […]
Well Hunting in the time of Covid
The last two years have been most strange and disconcerting, and we’re not out of the woods yet. Well hunting has been severely curtailed but I thought it might be interesting to do a quick round up of some of the wells visited during the moments lockdown was lifted. A trip to North Kerry in […]
St Kevin’s Holy Well, Glendalough
Enjoying a few days in County Wicklow, we visited the magical site that is Glendalough. A place of outstanding natural beauty, it comprises a lush valley, surrounded by mountains and two lakes, the perfect place for a wild hike – or a hermitage. It is also rich in an incredible variety of historic and religious […]